Smith wants Miller future resolved

11 January 2011 07:30

Rangers manager Walter Smith admits the prospect of Kenny Miller signing a pre-contract agreement with another club this month would result in an "awkward situation" for all concerned.

The striker was left out of the squad for Monday night's 3-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup, as he and his representative hold talks with both Birmingham and Fiorentina.

"It's an awkward situation for everybody concerned. If a player goes and signs a lucrative contract elsewhere and he remains at your club, it's a very difficult thing to go and ask him to go out and throw himself in front of some big ugly centre-half. That's what makes the situation a difficult one. I would hope we would know quite soon exactly what we face," said Smith.

Rangers have already accepted an offer from Birmingham but Miller could yet opt to go down the pre-contract route and wait until the summer when his current deal expires before quitting the Scottish champions.

"That would be a difficult issue for anybody, including the player, never mind the club, never mind anything else," said Smith.

"But we are not the only club facing that, there are a whole load of clubs who face a situation where players maybe sign a pre-contract and are still with that club for the remaining three or four months of the season."

Regardless of what Miller decides, Smith wants a quick resolution to the situation.

He added: "He's currently in negotiations with two clubs and we don't know what the outcome of those talks are going to be so we just have to wait and see.

"We don't know whether he's going to leave or not. It's a difficult situation to comment on because we don't know what's going to happen. Hopefully we will find out shortly.

"I didn't think it was the right thing for him to be involved in this game with so much going on around him. Hopefully that situation can be clarified within the next couple of days. We don't want it to drag on."

Source: PA